Eleanor Roosevelt
Governor’s Race below Updated June 11
Mikie Sherrill wins the Democratic primary
Jack Ciattarelli wins the Republican primary.
Sherrill beat out five other Democrats for her party’s nod, pitching herself as the most electable candidate — after her party struggled in the state last year compared with other recent presidential elections — and as a Democrat willing to stand up to Trump. She also leaned heavily on her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot and on criticism of Trump.
“It’s going to take a strong voice to cut through the noise from Washington and deliver for the people. So I stand here tonight doing just that. And as a mom of four teenagers, you guys know I’m not going to put up with the incompetent, whiny nonsense coming from aggrieved MAGA Republicans,” Sherrill told her supporters Tuesday at a victory rally.You probably can’t do better than to quote George Washington at this moment: Fix the bayonets, I’m resolved to take Trenton,” Sherrill added.”
The New Jersey Primary election results including Governor and State Assembly relied on a redesigned ballot intended to give all candidates a fair shot, it is the first race in decades that was not largely predetermined by local party leaders.
This is also the first year for a governor’s race under a 2023 campaign finance law that appears to have opened the door to this year’s record spending by independent groups backing candidates.
NJ primary 2025: What the numbers reveal
Record turnout, record spending, and history made as Dems nominate a woman for governor for first time. The results of New Jersey’s primary were both predictable and surprising: The frontrunners won the gubernatorial nominations, but few predicted the speed and decisiveness of the wins by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th) and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
New Jersey Primary
Tuesday June 10, 2025
6am – 8pm
New Jersey has a closed primary system, meaning only Democrats and Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees to run in the general election.
Unaffiliated voters, who are not registered as either a Democrat or a Republican, may choose to vote in the state’s primary, but they must declare a party to do so. If you’re interested WHYY explains how to do so.along with other NJ Primary information.
New Jersey Voter Registration
Deadline: Tuesday May 20
Anyone can register to vote, so long as they are a U.S. citizen, have been a resident of their New Jersey county for at least 30 days before the election and will be at least 18 on or before Election Day.
You can register to vote online. You will need your date of birth and either a current and valid Driver’s License, a non-driver Identification Card (ID card) issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) or a Social Security card.
New Jerseyans can find out whether they are already registered to vote.
Early Voting Period
Tuesday June 3 – Sunday June 8
This new option enables all registered voters to cast their ballot in person, using a voting machine, during in-person early voting period prior to Election Day. You can now choose to vote, in person, when it’s most convenient for your schedule.
No matter where you live in the county, you can vote your specific ballot at any of your county’s designated in-person early voting locations. Find your county’s locations here.
In-Person Early Voting for both the Primary Election and the General Election. Early voting locations will be open from at least 10 am to 8 pm on Mondays through Saturdays, and from at least 10 am to 6 pm on Sundays. No appointment is necessary. Accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.
Vote By Mail
Any voter may apply for vote-by-mail by completing the Application for Vote-By-Mail Ballot and returning the application to their County Clerk.
After you complete your Vote-By-Mail Ballot, return your ballot by one of three ways, mail it back, place it in one of your county’s Secure Ballot Drop Box Locations or return it to your County Board of Elections Office.
The New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, provides a video to help you through the steps.
Voters can check the status of their mail ballots online.
Return your ballot. How you return it is up to you.
Select one of the following three ways:
Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. Election Day and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before 6 days after Election Day.
Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Secure Ballot Drop Box locations
Board of Elections Office: Deliver it in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. County Election Officials
WHYY provides further information regarding if you received a mail ballot, but want to vote in person.
The Race for New Jersey Governor
(updated June 3)
The Democrats include Ras Baraka, Steven Fulop, Josh Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill, Sean Spiller and Stephen Sweeney. The Republicans include Jon Bramnick, Jack Ciattarelli, and Bill Spadea.
The New York Times sent a wide-ranging survey to candidates for governor of New Jersey about housing, immigration, abortion, transit, affordability, schools and climate.
The race for governor of New Jersey includes a large field of Democratic primary candidates competing against each other — and trying not to be drowned out by the drama in Washington. That’s a particular challenge for the Democratic contenders, who include two members of Congress, two big-city mayors and two union leaders.Each Democrat is trying to carve a path to victory.
New Jersey is set to hold its gubernatorial elections this year, with hotly contested primaries set for next month — and many experts are saying the high-stakes race could be a harbinger for the mood of the country ahead of 2026’s critical midterm elections.
As of May 27, Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the frontrunner and getting knocked by opponents and watchers of Garden State politics. But Sherrill is running just the type of campaign that made Murphy governor while embracing the Democratic establishment, opponents and close observers of Garden State politics say. “But where I sit, I think the voters are looking for a candidate who is not going to say ‘I’m part of the institution, promote me’ — but someone who says ‘I’m going to remake the institution.’
In new television ads and mailers in June, Sherrill’s rivals have bashed her wealth, her establishment ties, and past campaign contributions she accepted from a PAC associated with SpaceX, the spaceflight company helmed by Elon Musk. The grievances aren’t new, but they’re escalating as the primary approaches. And they’re coming from candidates like Steve Fulop and Ras Baraka, who are running as anti-establishment insurgents, as well as party darlings like Steve Sweeney as they look to erode Sherrill’s support among voters, many of whom remain undecided.
NJ PBS and NYNC radio covered the May 7 debate between Republicans Bramnick, Ciattarelli (recently supported by Trump) and Spadea. You can watch the full conversation here. They sparred for an hour on issues ranging from affordability and housing to education and federal funding cuts in one of two required debates.
The USA TODAY Network New Jersey surveyed nine of the candidates on topics ranging from transit to taxes, affordability, housing and justice reform to give residents a frame of reference on where the potential nominees from each party stand.
Will GOP gains in the wake of Trump’s victory shake up the Garden State governor’s race? The conservative think tank, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research’s City Journal seems to think so.
Still undecided by June 3?
The second debates of the 2025 governor’s race, sponsored by NJ PBS, was on Monday, May 12, for the Democrats. You can view it through the link.
That was followed by the third and final gubernatorial debates, sponsored by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey and Rider University: Sunday, May 18 for the Democrats and Tuesday, May 20 for the Republicans.
The debates linked above were 2.5 hours and be centered around three specific issue topics: Democrats debated on Taxes and Affordability, Education, and Public Transportation and Development; and Republicans debated on Taxes and Affordability, Education, and Crime.
Politico has created an interactive face -off between a Republican and Democrat to help you decide whom to vote for.
Here’s how the Democrats running to be governor say they’ll make New Jersey more affordable.
Finally, CBS has provided in depth interviews on the issues with each candidate for New Jersey Governor.
The Races for New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature
New Jersey has 40 legislative districts, and each one is represented by one senator and two members of the Assembly (senators are not on the ballot this year). Legislative elections are held in November of each odd-numbered year. .Members of the New Jersey General Assembly serve two-year terms. All 80 seats in the New Jersey General Assembly are up for election in 2025.
More candidates are running for seats in the New Jersey Assembly this year than they have at any point since Jimmy Carter was president.This year, 209 Assembly candidates — 123 Democrats and 86 Republicans — will vie for their parties’ nomination on June 10, up from the 170 that ran for the lower chamber when it was last on the ballot in 2023. Just two sitting legislators are seeking reelection unopposed. Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer) and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D-Mercer) have no primary challengers, and no Republicans filed to run in their 15th Legislative District.
“New Jersey LCV is proud to endorse our largest ever slate of candidates in legislative primaries, because the stakes for our environment and democracy have never been higher,” said Allison McLeod, Deputy Director of New Jersey LCV. “As we face unprecedented rollbacks in environmental protections at the federal level, it’s critical New Jersey has bold champions here at home who will fight for clean energy, environmental justice, and our democratic institutions.
Find your elected officials and district number.
Then use your district number to determine who the Primary candidates are in your New Jersey General Assembly district. Find their campaign websites and see how they stand on the issues facing New Jersey.
The Virginia Governor’s Race
In what could be a key 2025 bellwether, Virginia’s race for governor will also make history, all but guaranteeing the Commonwealth’s first female governor. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA officer, will face Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, after both state parties confirmed their nominees in recent days.One of the only competitive races of the year, the Virginia gubernatorial contest will be closely watched by both parties — and is often treated as a referendum on the president’s party.
The conventional wisdom in New Jersey politics is that the party that wins the presidency is given a disadvantage in the next year’s gubernatorial race. New Jersey and Virginia are the only states that hold gubernatorial elections the year after presidential years, making them national bellwethers for the political environment headed into the midterms.
Local and State Actions
Become informed, Vote, Donate, Volunteer for candidates in this year’s city and state elections. Attend town halls, fund raising events, zoom meetings, community gatherings. Let your voice be heard.
Federal Actions
In response to any and all actions by the present federal administration.
- Call, email and show up at your local representative’s office. Daily. . Hold House and Senate Republicans responsible for each and every Executive action taken by this administration.
2. Join National Networks:
League of Women Voters New Jersey
3. Hold your Democratic elected officials responsible for showing up and responding to what this administration is doing. . Attend their town halls, offices, and demand that they lead rallies and marches that you participate in. Demand that they stand in for Republican town halls when the Republicans fail to hold one.
4. Join any community actions that are in support of Americans who are affected by the recent decisions made by this administration.
Next Post: Federal Cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, The Assaults on the Judicial Branch
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